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[32]
When the affairs of Herod were in the condition I have described,
all the public affairs depended upon Antipater; and his power was such,
that he could do good turns to as many as he pleased, and this by his father's
concession, in hopes of his good-will and fidelity to him; and this till
he ventured to use his power still further, because his wicked designs
were concealed from his father, and he made him believe every thing he
said. He was also formidable to all, not so much on account of the power
and authority he had, as for the shrewdness of his vile attempts beforehand;
but he who principally cultivated a friendship with him was Pheroras, who
received the like marks of his friendship; while Antipater had cunningly
encompassed him about by a company of women, whom he placed as guards about
him; for Pheroras was greatly enslaved to his wife, and to her mother,
and to her sister; and this notwithstanding the hatred he bare them for
the indignities they had offered to his virgin daughters. Yet did he bear
them, and nothing was to he done without the women, who had got this man
into their circle, and continued still to assist each other in all things,
insomuch that Antipater was entirely addicted to them, both by himself
and by his mother; for these four women, 1
said all one and the same thing; but the opinions of Pheroras and Antipater
were different in some points of no consequence. But the king's sister
[Salome] was their antagonist, who for a good while had looked about all
their affairs, and was apprized that this their friendship was made in
order to do Herod some mischief, and was disposed to inform the king of
it. And since these people knew that their friendship was very disagreeable
to Herod, as tending to do him a mischief, they contrived that their meetings
should not be discovered; so they pretended to hate one another, and to
abuse one another when time served, and especially when Herod was present,
or when any one was there that would tell him: but still their intimacy
was firmer than ever, when they were private. And this was the course they
took. But they could not conceal from Salome neither their first contrivance,
when they set about these their intentions, nor when they had made some
progress in them; but she searched out every thing; and, aggravating the
relations to her brother, declared to him, as well their secret assemblies
and compotations, as their counsels taken in a clandestine manner, which
if they were not in order to destroy him, they might well enough have been
open and public. But to appearance they are at variance, and speak about
one another as if they intended one another a mischief, but agree so well
together when they are out of the sight of the multitude; for when they
are alone by themselves, they act in concert, and profess that they will
never leave off their friendship, but will fight against those from whom
they conceal their designs. And thus did she search out these things, and
get a perfect knowledge of them, and then told her brother of them, who
understood also of himself a great deal of what she said, but still durst
not depend upon it, because of the suspicions he had of his sister's calumnies.
For there was a certain sect of men that were Jews, who valued themselves
highly upon the exact skill they had in the law of their fathers, and made
men believe they were highly favored by God, by whom this set of women
were inveigled. These are those that are called the sect of the Pharisees,
who were in a capacity of greatly opposing kings. A cunning sect they were,
and soon elevated to a pitch of open fighting and doing mischief. Accordingly,
when all the people of the Jews gave assurance of their good-will to Caesar,
and to the king's government, these very men did not swear, being above
six thousand; and when the king imposed a fine upon them, Pheroras's wife
paid their fine for them. In order to requite which kindness of hers, since
they were believed to have the foreknowledge of things to come by Divine
inspiration, they foretold how God had decreed that Herod's government
should cease, and his posterity should be deprived of it; but that the
kingdom should come to her and Pheroras, and to their children. These predictions
were not concealed from Salome, but were told the king; as also how they
had perverted some persons about the palace itself; so the king slew such
of the Pharisees as were principally accused, and Bagoas the eunuch, and
one Carus, who exceeded all men of that time in comeliness, and one that
was his catamite. He slew also all those of his own family who had consented
to what the Pharisees foretold; and for Bagoas, he had been puffed up by
them, as though he should be named the father and the benefactor of him
who, by the prediction, was foretold to be their appointed king; for that
this king would have all things in his power, and would enable Bagoas to
marry, and to have children of his own body begotten.

1 Pheroras's wife, and her mother and sister, and Doris, Antipater's mother.

Flavius Josephus. The Works of Flavius Josephus. Translated by. William Whiston, A.M. Auburn and Buffalo. John E. Beardsley. 1895.

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